Ramps

[jamesdeluxe]

The 2025 ramp season is here. Here in Essex County NJ, they're usually fully mature by the last week of April; however, this year they seem to be about ten days behind -- look how narrow and short the leaves are:

Fiddlehead Ferns are also late:

I only picked 1.5 pounds on Saturday and will come back for much more next weekend when they're more mature. As always, I love them sauteed with eggs.

I'm still floored by @jasonwx's pic from Ireland. I don't think I've ever seen ramps this lush and completely covered by flowers:

 

[Ripitz]

The 2025 ramp season is here. Here in Essex County NJ, they're usually fully mature by the last week of April; however, this year they seem to be about ten days behind -- look how narrow and short the leaves are:
View attachment 29020

Fiddlehead Ferns are also late:
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I only picked 1.5 pounds on Saturday and will come back for much more next weekend when they're more mature. As always, I love them sauteed with eggs.
View attachment 29022

View attachment 29021

I'm still floored by @jasonwx's pic from Ireland. I don't think I've ever seen ramps this lush and completely covered by flowers:
View attachment 29023

Your egg dish is looking good. I’ve been inspired to go pick now.

A word of caution, the ferns in your pic are Christmas ferns, Polystichum acrostichoides and are not to be eaten. The one that is commonly foraged is Ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris.

The plants in Jason’s pic are not ramps. They look to me like a Lily of the Valley or something similar.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

A word of caution, the ferns in your pic are Christmas ferns, Polystichum acrostichoides and are not to be eaten.

Yikes, thanks for the heads-up. Glad I posted that pic! I'm clearly a fern novice.

The plants in Jason’s pic are not ramps. They look to me like a Lily of the Valley or something similar.

That's why I said above that they don't look like ramps I've seen. I know from the TV show Breaking Bad that Lily of the Valley is very poisonous, especially for children.

 

[jasonwx]

Your egg dish is looking good. I’ve been inspired to go pick now.

A word of caution, the ferns in your pic are Christmas ferns, Polystichum acrostichoides and are not to be eaten. The one that is commonly foraged is Ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris.

The plants in Jason’s pic are not ramps. They look to me like a Lily of the Valley or something similar.

The whole Forrest smelled of garlic and onikns
And my trusty plant app said ramps. But who knows

 

[Sick Bird Rider]

Hinterlandian wild leeks (aka ramps) are coming but as you said, a bit behind. Looks like a good crop though.

 

[gorgonzola]

So you guys have piqued my interest on this whole ramps thing. A few weeks ago I noticed a few pretty big patches starting to come up on one of my mtb routes so on this afternoon's ride I will be armed with some pruning shears and and a freezer baggie. Any tips for a first timer? Gonna start small with just a few to make sure I even like them, but I like strong flavors so I'm thinking they'll be good, will report back.

 

[MarzNC]

So you guys have piqued my interest on this whole ramps thing. A few weeks ago I noticed a few pretty big patches starting to come up on one of my mtb routes so on this afternoon's ride I will be armed with some pruning shears and and a freezer baggie. Any tips for a first timer? Gonna start small with just a few to make sure I even like them, but I like strong flavors so I'm thinking they'll be good, will report back.

Never dealt with ramps, but always enjoy the discussion. Found this advice related to foraging.

April 2015

Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know About Ramps

But were afraid to ask, for fear of looking uncool in your favorite restaurant.

www.eater.com

" . . .
If foraging your own ramps, Cohen has recommended picking just one leaf per plant and leaving the bulb in the ground so it can continue to reproduce for future years. And since ramps grow slowly, the National Agroforestry Center also recommends only harvesting portions should you encounter a ramp cluster in the wild, as opposed to the whole thing. It cites a 2004 study that recommends “harvesting no more than 10 percent of a patch and harvesting from the same patch only once every 10 years. In this way, natural populations have a chance to recuperate.”
. . ."

 

[Brownski]

For what it’s worth

 

[Tjf1967]

For what it’s worth

View attachment 29070

They are reserved for the rangers

 

[Ripitz]

So you guys have piqued my interest on this whole ramps thing. A few weeks ago I noticed a few pretty big patches starting to come up on one of my mtb routes so on this afternoon's ride I will be armed with some pruning shears and and a freezer baggie. Any tips for a first timer? Gonna start small with just a few to make sure I even like them, but I like strong flavors so I'm thinking they'll be good, will report back.

Your breath will smell like garbage. Make sure to share them with whoever you plan on kissing to avoid rejection.

Here’s a patch of transplants down by the crick that I made many years ago. I harvest a little bit each year making sure the patch gets bigger over time.

Ramp and pistachio pesto going on the Salmon tonight with a drizzle of honey.